The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-16
GRlADPlTHEa'S GOLD.
SINS VISITED UPON DESCEND
ANTS AFTER 40 YEARS.
Extraordinary Developments In COan-
terfeitiug Cases ct Jack.
son, Tenn.

OF counterfsiting cases somewhat out
of the ordinary channel, was closed
yesterday in the United States Court
In this city, by the conviction and
sentence to Albany, N. Y, peniten.
tiary, Of Sam Mccullough, white, aged
twenty six; Ben Browder, white, sged
twenty. Five; Bill B,rkett, colofed;
Prlmus Mccoy, colored; Taylor Nc
Dougal, colored, and John Gilmore,
colored. These prisoners we're arrest
ed 10 February last for showing coun-
terieit $40 pieces Of the col lsge Of
1910, which have been pronounced at
the Secret Service bureau in Wash.
ington, the most perfect counterfeit
extant, especially as to the plating and
milling, and the only known counter
felt Of that coin Of the date 1910.
The proof In the progress OF the
trial developed an almost romantic
history OF this issue Of counterisits.
The two white men are the grandsons
OF John Rsdding, who owned farm
In McNairy county, and died there
some fifteen years ago. One witness,
Justice Hume, testified that be had
lived in the county dfty.one years,
aud In 1845 there was q sensation
created by the appearance Of two
counterfeit $40 pieces OF the date Of
1910, and one S.. piece OF 1887, one
passed on man named Wolfe and an
other passed on man named Wis
dom by John Redding, one
OF the best known aud most
respectable citizens OF the county,
who, giving some satisfactory explana-
ton, was never disturbed. Squire
Home identified the coin produced In
evidences in these trials % the same In
appearance a. that he saw In ls45.
While moving some neighbors bsck to
Middle Tennessee in lS48, Squire
Home overlook some other movers 70.
ing back to North Carolina, and re-
cognizsd an old friend he had known
In North Carolina named Elliott, who
asked him II he knew men named
R.dding and Hardawsy In his county,
and 10 secret and confidential CONVEX
sstion sho we'd him some ten aud FIVE
dollar pieces which he had received
from the men f)r q horse. They were
the same In appearance a. the coins In
evidence In the court here.
Justice Howe also swore that when
the two pieces we're passed on Wolie
and Wisdom, man who lived In the
county told him that he believed he
saw O man making the money. He
saw q smoks In the woods, and eau
tiously watched Q man blowing bel
lows and apparently moulding bullets.
II was Hardswsy, who lived with Red
ding, and was O stranger fro n q dis
lance. Justice Howe had not thought
Of these old sensations until this
trouble arose with old man Readings
grandsons.
The story they told was that one
day In March, 1885, they were tquirrel
hunting and came to the "rock pile, y
O large moond like pile OF rocks on
their farm, which was the one formerly
belonging 10 their grandfather Red
ding. They saw grounding running
into this rock pile and tried to catch
him. While delng this they won.
dered why this rock pile had beer
built and supposed II might be %
Indian mound with something curioui
Ia IL, and concluded they would come
next day and dig into 1t, ss that wa
Sunday. They did this and aftel
awhile struck II rich, under q pile o
rocks in the hollow made By
. the roofs OF that tree, which hst
grown over II. There they ioun'
|, forty. eight ten dollar pieces
and two Eve dollar pieces, the ten dol
!. lar pieces d ted 1870, and the Ave dol
4 lar pieces dated 1887. There wer'
pieces Of old newspapers among tn,
r coine, which had the name Of Poll
J, and Mrs. Tyler on,them. They sen
for their wives, and the Sind" va
divided between them. The next do,
they went TO the town OF Falcon, nea
by, and one OF them went TO the post
J, master to buy q money order, but b
J. refused the money. They then wen
TO the stores and paid their accounts
and o,e merchant changed $50 10
them.
A dentist tried II and told them
II was good. The finding created a ser
sation. and every body congratulate
Il them on their good luck. They CAV
their wives some OF the money, an
4. tie next day the whole family wen
" to Oorintb, MISS. TO trade and buy
buggy. Here they SUGGESTED In ge
y ling the merchants and the carriag
man 10 take the money, bat bef)r
0, they left town q piece WAS taken
the banker OF the town, who pr
II. nounced Ii counterfeit, but the best
bad ever seen. They returned th
a, purchases and got their money q
VI back, bur took l. themtelves 10 h
bsnker, who examined q lars
III quantity OF Il aud pronounced
~ counterfeit. This did not satisfy then
and they took IL again 10 the Falco
T., dentist, who bored into II apiece, tes
10 ed II with acid, aud then told thei
o. regrsifully that IL was counterfeit
Thew were nd sised 10 send q piees |
v. the United sia'es mint at New D
~ leans, which they did, and receive
d. the sad intelligence that II was couI
terfeit. Bot tue mint officials did NJ
return the specimen. Not long aft,
"a strange gentleman and his wi
m quietly took up their abode In tn
=, city and made themselves most sgre
~ ~ able a. prcspectors looking the Ne
~, ns South and spending the wint'
r. In the South for the vile
~ ~ health. After many weeks Bi
!. Burkett, one OF the convicte
." prisoners, was arrested Tor passir
counterfeit money. Everybody b,
lie gan 10 look mp their ten dollar go
pieces Of da Q OF 1870, and II was ioun
~. that a banker and several nerchan
In had taken the money ~ good, and ira
I'D ing back TO original sources was cor
%. menced, and all around there were d
Nd velopments. Arrests commenced
be be made and CONSERVATION seizI
In every one who had been handling ar
70. OF the money, some running Oh
N. Arkansas and T,xas to avoid ARE
IN. for having II and passiog H. o.
4. man, q butcher, was convicted Ia
In MAY, but the President pardon'
he him before sentence. The two gran